Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexi Abrahamoff.
Hi Lexi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I would like to think my journey started when I was in elementary school. Like most kids, I was always watching the same films on repeat. Most of the time, it was The Lion King or Superstar. While these two are completely different movies, one is arguably not the most appropriate movie for a child to watch, they both were instrumental in my love for film. Without any understanding of what that meant for me and my life, I decided to join the morning announcements at my school. After that, I was sold. Any chance I could get in front of a camera, I took it. I wanted to entertain and to make people laugh. Once I hit High School, I joined our school’s tv production program which gave me a better grasp on what it took to create something people looked forward to watching. After college, I made the decision to move out to California. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. I felt I was right where I belonged. My first job out there was working as a tour guide at Warner Bros Studios. I stepped into sound stages of my favorite shows and on backlots where film history was made.
Professionally, I got my foot in the door working on music video sets which eventually led to reality tv. Unfortunately, my time in Los Angeles was short-lived. While I was chasing my dreams, I had no idea what 2020 was going to have in store for me and the rest of the world. While quarantine forced me to think about who I wanted to be and where I was going the biggest thing that changed my course was the LA Black Lives Matter protests. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was finding my voice as a creative. I wanted to create something that changed the way people thought. After weeks of pondering my actual capabilities of taking on such a task, I opened my laptop and began to write. For seven days, I didn’t stop. On that last day, I wrote “the end”, and my feature film script Baby was born. Not long after, I had to make the difficult decision to move back to South Florida because of the difficulties that coronavirus presented. The day I got back to Florida, my sister told me she could get me a stable job working with her at a substance abuse and mental health clinic. Since life was so uncertain, and stability seemed like the best course of action, I decided to put my film Baby aside and start working. I facilitated groups of 12 people every day and heard stories with such pain that would keep me up at night.
Just a few weeks before, I was sitting in LA pondering how I could make a difference, and here I was sitting in a room full of misunderstood people who were just trying to get through the day. Every day in that room changed my life. Not a moment went by where I wasn’t challenged or pushed to adapt and understand in new ways. After a long and complicated process of learning how to emotionally stabilize after work, I began to put what I learned into my script. As I changed and evolved, so did the words on each page. I started taking more production jobs here and there when I could take off work until eventually, I had to make a choice between continuing to facilitate groups or to work full time on developing my film and working on sets. After over a year and a half, I gained the courage to make that transition. Letting go of that room that changed my life was difficult, but it allowed me to step into my next chapter. After that more doors opened. I opened up my production company Goldi Films Inc. and officially got two producers to join my developmental journey of creating Baby. Currently, we are in the process of obtaining funding so that we can transition into preproduction. Once that happens, I will be taking on my dream career of feature film Director.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been nothing but a bumpy and unexpected journey. I guess that comes with the territory of seeking a creative career as well as living in the world we live in today. Having to decide between stability and freelance work is a constant challenge. Along with external challenges come the internal ones. I have been my greatest hindrance throughout my life. The only person who has truly ever held me back is myself. In college, I faced this the most. I decided not to go to film school or even apply to film school because I believed I would never get in. Instead, I studied digital media production which aligned closely but focused more on documentary filmmaking and sports broadcasting. Although it was a creative route, I knew deep down it wasn’t what I truly was passionate about. I still struggle every day wondering if I am good enough or if I have made the right choices, but I have learned that I don’t have to let doubt control my life. I had to make the decision to no longer hold myself back and use that energy to positively invest in myself and my future. Now I use fear to motivate me and push me to go after what I want. It’s too exhausting to do otherwise.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At heart, I am a storyteller. Any opportunity to make a story or a character I take it. I only started writing because the constant bouncing of ideas in my head were too distracting for me to focus on anything else. I am a director with a particular kind of voice. I focus on raw human emotion, and I am not interested in continuing the patterns of the past when it comes to film. I want people to see the lives of those truly struggling in the shadows. We always look outward when we want to help, and we think of third-world countries when we think of people who are struggling. The truth is that people are struggling right here in America. I’m not talking about in a specific state or area, I am talking about everywhere. Whether it be under our own roof or two streets over, people are struggling. I want us, as human beings, to look in each other’s eyes and to listen. There are silent screams happening all around us, and most of us don’t even take the time to notice. My current film in development, Baby, sheds light on many issues that most people would shy away from. It centers around addiction, homelessness, adoption, mental health, and trauma.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe that adaptiveness and open-mindedness are the most essential to my growth. Learning is something that I must do constantly. A willingness to put ego aside and grow in a collaborative space is the best way for me to work towards my goals. I want to continue to create environments where people feel comfortable enough to be themselves and open enough to step out of their comfort zone. Regardless of any obstacles or challenges, I know that the only way to move is forward. With every new day I face, I get to learn something I never knew before, and that makes me excited for my future as a human being and as a filmmaker.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lexigoldi
